Baku, June 2, AZERTAC

As the opening ceremony for the first European Games draws closer, the city gets dressed for success.

There is no escaping the Azerbaijani capital Baku’s preparations for a historic event for European sport. With the city’s spectacular new venues dotting the skyline and a buzz of anticipation in the air, a multiple award-winning brand and marketing campaign has been busily decorating the stylish metropolis.

As the campaign moves to Games-time look, thousands of bespoke elements have come together to create a striking overall impression. The vast, 1,920m² logo that hangs on the front of the Marriot hotel on central Baku’s Freedom Square is the largest of over 50,000 billboards, banners, flags and details adorning the city.

Even the iconic Flame Towers have received vibrant Baku 2015 branding, while a giant illuminated Games logo will ‘float’ offshore in the Caspian Sea. The city is now also home to 995 aubergine-coloured London cabs, each one featuring the Baku 2015 brand property, as well as 18 hand-painted statues of mascots Jeyran and Nar.

Further afield, the 60-leg Journey of the Flame torch relay has travelled the length and breadth of the country en route to Baku and the opening ceremony. At Heydar Aliyev airport, eleven Azerbaijan Airlines planes, including the company’s London and New York Dreamliner services, have been adorned with the baku2015.com livery.

Around the world, 140 countries will broadcast the Games, which will also be streamed live on baku2015.com and YouTube. Meanwhile, the Europe-wide TV and digital advertising campaign, ‘Rise to the Occasion’, will reach a potential audience of 380 million viewers.